Please note that my wife, Ruk-Long, and I will be retiring to Thailand by next summer. Our house now building in Pran Buri is near the town of Hua Hin (Stone Head) and the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. I quote from a 2001 edition of Lonely Planet, p. 391:

“Fauna – Notable wildlife around Khao Sam Roi Yot includes crab-eating macaque, dusky langur (the park is considered one of the best spots in the world for viewing dusky langurs), barking deer, slow loris, Malayan pangolin, fishing cat, palm civet, otter, serow, Javian mongoose and monitor lizard.

“Because the park lies at the intersection of the East Asian and Australian fly ways, as many as 300 migratory and resident bird species have been recorded, including yellow bittern, cinnamon bittern, purple swamp hen, water rail, ruddy-breasted crake, bronze-winged jacana, grey heron, painted stork, whistling duck, spotted eagle and black-headed ibis. THE PARK PROTECTS THAILAND’S LARGEST FRESHWATER MARSH (along with mangroves and mudflats), and is one of only three places in the country where the purple heron breeds.

“Waterfowl are most commonly seen in the cool season. Encroachment by shrimp farmers in the vicinity has sadly destroyed substantial portions of mangroves and other wetlands, thus depriving the birds of an important habitat.”

This swamp is probably too small to harbor much unknown wildlife but one never knows. I will do what I can to collect tidbits of information.

But extinction tends to focus people. And densely populated areas tend to foster lots of people who know what looks normal around there and what looks out of place.

I saw my first winter wren the other weekend. A more nondescript looking LBB (birderese for “little brown bird”) one cannot imagine. At one time in my life I wouldn’t even have noticed it. On this day it was as arresting as a klieg light coming on in my eyes on a pitch-black night. (And I still don’t consider myself a birder of particular proficiency.)

Nothing that’s been declared extinct is that common looking.

I’ll bet there have been many sightings. Just not by informed orithologists. It is a fairly common looking bird.

Acrocpehalus orinus appears to be a ’DNA split’ from Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus). Use this Google image link to see the latter species that looks more or less ’exactly’ the same as the one rediscovered.

NB Phil Round has played a huge part in our understanding of birdlife in Thailand and thereabouts, and very much deserves to be involved in this rediscovery. Congratulations.